Splash guard attaching device for vehicle fenders



Dec. 11, 1934. c. A. PERSONS SPLASH GUARD ATTACHING DEVICE FOR VEHICLE FENDERS Filed Feb. 27, 1932 lnu-eniov. Charles A.Per-sqns Ailorney Patented Dec. 11, 1934 I tarmac npplicationlebruaryszj,

1932, Serial No.1 595.4 T

7Claims; (cram-152) The present invention relates to splashguards for attachmentto the rear fenders. of 1 motor. ve-

hicles,,in orderto. intercepttar, sand. or other road material thrown -111p ,by the. wheels. .whenrthe :vehicle is in motion, 3.111150; prevent the. accumw lation ofsuch matter onthei-rear portionof the vehicle.

The object of the invention is.-.to provide an improved device? f orattaching splash guard members: to .vehiclevfenders without the. use of tools,- or any. manualiloperation other than .merely pressing the attaching device: intoclamping: en I gagementwith the edge: of a vehicle. fender. The I device of thepresent invention is adaptedtto be applied to any type=offmotor-vehicle fender, and

so supports thezassociated'guard member-that the guard member will aIWayshang'. approximately vertically. from .the. fender; irrespective of the inclination .of the rear portion =of the. fender from the vertical; In this; latter respect theiguardat' taching device of the present= invention differsradically fromsplash. guards heretoforecon structed, inwhich the attaching devices are =rigidly. attached thereto,- so that each guardmember tendsto extend a in the sameplane: as the rear portion of the fender The above and other advantageous features-of the invention will -hereinafter more :fully appear from the following description taken in connect-- tion with the-accompanying drawing, in which:-

Fig. 1 is a view:in-side elevation of a-motor" vehicle wheel having an overhangingcfe'nder witha splash 1 guard attached thereto, in accordance with the invention Fig.- Z'is-a viewinrear'elevation of the partsshown in Fig. 1. I

Fig. 3" is. an assembly of; the splash guard at-- taching device removed from the guard Fig; 4-shows the' g-uard member removed from the attaching device.

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view along the line 55 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view along the line 6--6 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. '7 is a vertical sectional View similar to Fig. 5, showing a modified form of guard attaching device.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures.

Referring first to Fig. 1, the rear wheel 1 of a vehicle is shown as being overhung by a fender 2, the edge of which is turned or rolled to provide an enlargement, or bead 3, as best shown in Fig. 6.- Itis-to' benoted that the rear end por-' tion of the fender 2 is disposed; atanangle from the vertical, and the primary object'ofthe"pres entinvention is to provide -"an improved device" for attaching a flexibleguard member, or flap ,4," to the fenderZ' insuch a manner thatfthe guard will always-hang approximately;vertically, irrespective -of theangle which the fender makes with-theverticali f As best shown in Fig. 3, the splashjguard,atr

holding the fender bead 3 inclamping engagementin a manner to be hereinafter described. The splash guard member 4 preferably". composed of durable, flexible, material such as rubber, fabric or. leather, providesgnear,itsupper edge one or more openings 7' equal in number-to 1 the lugs 5jon.the,rod-.6,each opening Tbeing; large enough ,tofreely receive an attaching 5; In"attaching the, guard member t to thejfender 2, .the mgss mountedonthe rod6 are passedthroughtheopenings '7 untihthe; rod 6. comes; into contact with the rear. face of g the: guard member 4. Then, with a'slot8" in each. lug 5.,pointing upwardly as shown in'Fig. 5, the

lugs 5..are applied to therear end of "the fender the fact that the attaching lugs 5 fit loosely in the openings '7, extends downwardly in a substantially vertical plane, as shown in Fig. 1, so as to be most effective in intercepting matter thrown by the wheel 1. It is also to be noted that the rod 6, carrying the attaching lugs 5, extends across the entire width of the guard member 4, in engagement with the rear surface thereof, so that the weight of the guard member 4 is borne entirely by the rod 6, which in turn transmits it to thelugs 5. Thus, there is no tendency for the attaching lugs to be torn loose from the guard member, due to flapping of the guard when carryinga considerable accumulation of mud or ice.

As best shown in Fig. 5, each attaching lug 5 10 taching device comprisesone or' more, lugs 5 mountedon asupporting rodf6, theflugs15 be-f ingso constructed 'as :to be readily appliedto, the rearend'portion" ofthe v fender. 2," each lug, 5.

2 bypassing the fenderlbead 3 through the. slots. 0W

8 until thebeadis: heldin clamping relation by the. When the lugs- 5 ihave.,-b eenz so; applied. to .the fender 2, the jaw; portionsfi'av of each. lug: on .opposite; sidesof the slot: 8" extendsubstane tially -inthe plane oftheurear portion of the fender, at nwhatever: angle 1 from the .vertical .the ifendermayhavdn;

'I'he'fiexible.guardmemberr i, however, due'to is preferably formed of rubber, or similar resilient material, readily moldable, so as to embed therein a metallic clamp 9. The clamp 9 is preferably formed from metal strip, or wire, and is reversely bent so as to provide opposed jaw portions 10 and 11, with theend of the jaw 11 spaced from the jaw 10 a distance less than the average thickness of the edge head 3 of the vehicle fender 2. The previously mentioned slot 8 in the lug 5 extends into the space between the clamping jaws 10 and 11, and in the operation of applying a lug 5 to the fender 2, the slot 8' is registered with the beaded edge of the fender. Then, by pushing on the lug 5, the bead 3 is -forced between the yieldable jaws 10 and 11 until the end of the jaw 11 enters the corner between the bead and the body of the fender. By reason of the inherent resiliency of the clamp itself, the jaws 10 and 11 are maintained in tight gripping engagement with the fender 2, so that the lug cannot be accidentally removed from the fender.

The rod 6 which supports the weight of the guard member 4 extends through each lug 5 below the clamp 9, and preferably a metallic ring 12, with a portion thereof removed, is also embedded in the lug material so as to partially encircle both the closed end of the clamp 9, as well as the rod 6. The function of the ring 12, in each lug, is to take any strain on the rod 6, and transmit it to the opposed faces of the fender itself, rather than to the bead engaging clamp 9. In Fig. 7 the lug 5' is shown as being made without the reinforcing ring, in which construction the material of the lug itself takes the strain of the rod 6, without any strain being transmitted directly to the clamp 9 which might tend. to

disengage the same from the fender bead 3.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that by the present invention there is provided an improved device for attaching a splash guard to a vehicle fend-er in such a manner that the guard member itself will hang vertically, irrespective of the inclination of the fender. This particular Way of attaching the guard member is of great advantage when used in connection with vehicle fenders that are formed with a streamline effect, so that the rear portion of the fender is almost horizontal. Obviously, a splash guard member with rigid attaching devices would tend to assumea horizontal position when applied to such a stream-line fender, whereas the separate attachment of the lugs to the fender in the present arrangement eliminates this possibility. Furthermore, in molding guard members from rubber,

the incorporation of attaching devices as integral parts of the guard, as heretofore proposed, greatly complicates the molding process, whereas separate molding of the guard members and attaching lugs can be carried out according to the pres- 'vehicle fender, comprising a lug and a resilient fender engaging clamp embedded therein, a rod extending through said lug at right angles to said clamp and a reinforcing member encircling said frod also embedded in said lug.

3. A device for attaching a splash guard to a vehicle fender, comprising a lug of moldable material having, a fender engaging clamp embedded therein, a splash guard supporting rod extending through said lug, and a reinforcing member also embedded in the lug material for supporting said rod.

4. A device for attaching a splash guard to a vehicle fender, comprising a lug of moldable material having a fender engaging clamp embedded therein, a splash guard supporting rod extending through said lug at right angles to said clamp and a reinforcing ring encircling said rod for supporting the same.

5. Means for attaching a splash guard to a vehicle fender, comprising in combination, a flat guard member having an opening in the face thereof, near one end, a clamp insertable bodily through the opening in said guard member for forcibly engaging the edge of said fender, and a member carried by said clamp and extending on opposite sides thereof for holding said guard member on the fender.

6. Means for attaching a splash guard to a vehicle fender, comprising in combination, a fiat guard member having an opening in the face thereof, near one end, a clamp insertable bodily through the opening in said guard member for forcibly engaging the edge of said fender, and a rod extending through said clamp on opposite sides thereof for engaging the rear surface of said guard member and holding it in position on the fender.

7. Means, for attaching a splash guard to a ,vehicle fender, comprising in combination, a flat guard member having a pair of spaced openings in the face thereof, near one end, a rod and a pair of clamps adjustably mounted on said rod so as to correspond to the spacing between said openings, the insertion of said clamps bodily through said openings to forcibly engage the edge of the fender serving to engage said rod with said guard member to hold the latter in position on the fender.

CHARLES A. PERSONS. 

